Hybrid working

Hybrid working now forms part of our approach to better ways of working. Some of the benefits of hybrid working include:

• Reduced travelling which has a positive impact on the environment
• Reduced travel time
• Reduced downtime
• Increased productivity
• Increased employee engagement
• Staff work/life balance and wellbeing

It is important to also consider such things as:

• Any impact on business delivery and performance both for the employee and the wider team
• Any effect on ability to meet customer demand
• The fit with other team members’ working arrangements

We have developed a Toolkit which is intended to provide advice and guidance about self-management when working in a hybrid way (for individuals); and managing teams and people who work in a hybrid way (for managers).

Further information is available on our Learning & Development pages

You should choose a location where you feel you will be most productive. This could be one of our buildings, a community facility, your home or a client’s / customer’s premises. Prior to deciding where to work you will need to:

• Consider the needs of your service and your team
• Ensure you can work safely and efficiently
• Be free of distractions
• Be contactable at all times and be able to receive and make calls in a confidential manner
• Make sure all data is kept securely
• Agree your arrangement in advance with your line manager and make sure your colleagues are aware.
• If you are unsure of the suitability of your proposed location discuss it with your line manager

You can also find information relating to personal safety on the Health and Safety pages

Going forward we will be operating with fewer council buildings and will be looking to make better use of our retained assets, along with identifying community and other public sector buildings that CCC staff will be able to use. More information will be made available once the Office Accommodation Programme has been agreed.

Part of this work will also help us identify what our teams need from our buildings, which will help us decide what facilities we need to provide e.g., team meeting spaces, quiet space. Your manager will be speaking to you about how your service will run going forward and accommodation will be a key part of the discussion. So, if there are facilities that you feel you need to do your job more effectively, please let your manager know.

Once our Office Accommodation Programme is agreed more details will be provided on alternative places for you to work.

This depends on the arrangement you have in place with your manager but for lone working purposes it is really important that your manager and colleagues know where you are working and how long for. You will need to develop a system/process with your manager and colleagues to maintain contact and ensure your diary and work locations are readily available.

As you would normally. Where you work does not impact on the way you record your hours.

As a Local Government Officer, you are expected to work and be resident in the UK. In exceptional circumstances you may be able to agree with your manager that you can work for a very short time as a one-off, informal arrangement from a temporary location outside the UK. However, you would not be able to do this on a regular and / or long-term basis.

No. These will need to be ordered and will be provided by the Council. This equipment will remain the property of CCC and will need to be returned if you no longer need it or if you leave the Council. It is important to note that the Authority reserves the right to charge for any equipment which is not returned.

Agency workers and those on secondment to the CCC, who are employed in a multi-located role, may agree informal hybrid working arrangements with their employer, subject to the requirements of the service being provided.

Our flexi time scheme, which is currently under review, allows you to work between the hours of 7am and 7pm and, recognising that our normal public opening hours are between 9am and 5pm, any arrangements need to be agreed within these parameters. You will need to consider the needs of the service, your team and other colleagues who may need to collaborate with you. You should also consider any team targets or response rates that you will still need to adhere to when deciding on what hours to work. You will need to be clear with your manager and your team what hours you are planning to work on that day so that people know when you are going to be available. Shared calendars must be kept up to date as this is an essential way of detailing where you are and when.

Travel and subsistence in respect of official business travel (i.e. to locations other than your contractual workplace) may be claimed in line with our Travel Policy and our Financial Procedure Rules

No. You will be expected to carry out a self-assessment both before you start working from home on a regular basis to identify the equipment needed and then once you have your home-working equipment set up, to ensure this is correct and complies with our Health & Safety requirements.

You can access the workstation assessment form on the Health, Safety and Wellbeing pages.

Your broadband should be sufficient for you to work from home effectively and your productivity should not be compromised because of poor connectivity. If you are unable to reasonably work from home, you should use one of our council buildings or your base. We would recommend a minimum specification of 2MB however this will vary depending on job roles. Ofcom offer a free ‘online’ speed checker which can be run to test your current internet speed at https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/broadband-test. It is your responsibility to speak to your broadband provider if the speeds you are being provided with are poor and/or insufficient for home working. The Authority will not provide any costs towards landline rental, broadband or 4G/5G mobile devices.

Until your broadband issues are resolved you should work from your contractual base or one of our buildings. Discuss and agree the alternative location with your line manager. Contact your broadband provider to resolve the issues. If you are required to upgrade your broadband package due to speed issues, you will be expected to meet the additional costs yourself.

During the covid emergency the Authority recognised that normal pre/after school childcare arrangements were disrupted and, as a result, afforded extra flexibility for working families.

Now that childcare facilities are fully operational you should ensure that you have appropriate care arrangements in place to enable you to fulfill your contractual hours so that the delivery of service within you team is not compromised. The same would apply for all other caring responsibilities.

If you would like to permanently change your working hours so that you can continue with this arrangement please refer to the Flexible Working Policy and discuss with your line manager.

It is important that you are not working at home whilst solely responsible for a child or dependent. If it is agreed that you can work from home then, depending on your hours of work, we expect you vary your childcare arrangements and work this around your working hours, as you would do if you were in the workplace.

You will need to be able to deliver your work objectives / outcomes, and more specifically, you need to be available and able to attend / contribute to meetings.

If this is not possible because there is a child or other dependent at home that prevents this, then you will not be able to work from home.

You should check with your home and contents insurance providers that you have adequate cover for the fact that you work from home/that any of your own equipment is covered for work use.

Employees working at or from home on a regular basis must inform anyone with an interest in the property (for example, building society, bank, or landlord). In doing so, it is important to emphasise that although there will be some work, e.g. administrative work, carried out at your home, the official business of the Council remains at the offices of CCC. It should also be made clear that it is not intended that customers will visit your home and that CC colleagues will visit very rarely (if at all). Note: it is your responsibility to inform, where appropriate, any relevant parties about your home working arrangements and / or abide by any service provision contracts.

No, we do not pay a home working allowance. However, you may be able to claim tax relief for some of the bills. Further information can be found on HMRC Website.

Necessary travel to locations other than your contractual workplace is official business travel and so you may claim reimbursement for travel and subsistence costs in line with the Travel Policy, which can be found by visiting our intranet here https://ourpeople.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/our-people/hr/pay-benefits/expenses/

In respect of recording working hours, as you are not travelling to your contractual place of work, you would record your travel time as working hours.

We are reducing our reliance on paper and so the printing of any documents should be done as a last resort.

At the workplace you will be able to access one of our secure Konica printers at your work location.

At home you will be able to send print jobs to a secure Konica printer located in one of our council buildings and collect at your convenience. Connecting your own printers to your home working setup is not supported.

Further information on printing can be found by visiting our IT pages

The nature of your work will dictate the best solution for your role, which you will discuss with your line manager. Our IT division can provide advice and guidance and you can find further information on the IT pages

We are reducing the amount of travel we do, so before travelling, consider whether the journey is necessary and agree it in advance with your manager.

We have said that we will become a net zero carbon local authority by 2030. Therefore, limiting the travelling and commuting we do is essential to achieving this.

We have the technology to hold meetings virtually, therefore, before travelling, you must consider whether the journey is necessary. If you need to travel, you are required to choose the most cost-effective mode of transport e.g. electric pool car or public transport, and the purpose of the journey should be for a specific official business reason. Examples may include:

• Where there is a statutory or business requirement for the meeting to be held in person rather than online meetings
• Where attendees do not have to access to technology
• Where disability may preclude someone from using technology to communicate
• To establish and maintain work relationships e.g. new employee induction, team development, anchor days
• Where learning and development can only be provided from a fixed location or face to face e.g. manual handling training
• Some employee relations meetings where trade unions and/or employees may request to meet in person
• Meeting with service users
• Democratic meetings with Elected Members

This list is not exhaustive, and instances will depend on the type of service you provide. Further information in relation to our Travel Policy

Commuting time and costs from your home to your contractual workplace (or an alternative workplace of your choice) will not be reimbursed. Any claims of this nature will not be authorised.

You cannot claim tax relief if you choose to work from home.

When working remotely, you should not work if you are unwell. If you are sick and unable to work, our Sickness Absence Policy applies.

You must telephone your line manager at the earliest opportunity when you are unable to attend work due to sickness absence. This should be prior to your normal start time, but no later than the first hour of the normal working day. Messages by text and other forms of communication should only be used in emergencies and must be followed up by a telephone call as soon as possible.